The Coward's Way Out
by BlueAsh666
Summary: Shit happens. That's what people say, right? Well, too much shit has been happening too fast, and Ashley decides that she's had enough. Because she deals with enough just on her day job, and having Jack forget about her existence is just a little too much. So she leaves. But will she be swayed into doing something unforgivable...? JackxOC, slight!JackxTooth. Sequel to 'Courage'.
1. Chapter 1

"_Just put the girl down_. This doesn't need to be ugly." A tall, rather dishevelled young woman said calmly. The girl's tanned and scarred face was covered with a sheen of sweat, from both the thick, humid heat that was Brazil, and from the stress of the situation. And, _let's be honest_, the combat boots and armor didn't help to stop the sweat, either...

Sirens screamed. Police cars circled the woman, and the trembling teen who held a little girl by the neck with a gun pointed at her head, swallowed thickly. Officers screamed for the woman to leave, but she ignored them as she locked eyes with the local. A short, scrawny teen who was suffering from extreme withdrawal symptoms.

"I just need a fix! _Just one!_" He rasped shakily, tightening his hold on the girl before pointing it at the woman who was twirling a trident in one hand. "Just give me some money! I-I _need_ it!" His voice cracked, "_Please_..."

Doing her best to seem at ease, she put her free hand in her jeans pocket. "Just take it easy, alright? One step at a time. You don't wanna get shot, do you...?"

"N-no," He rasped, eyes flicking from side to side, searching for an escape that wasn't there. His hands trembled, "Want... want a fix. Just _one more_. The-then I'll kick it. I swear! Just _one more!_ I don't want to hurt the child, but I will if I have to!" Said kid sobbed.

"Calm down," She said gently, "Just take it slow. Ignore everyone else; it's just you and me, okay? Baby steps. We'll get things worked out - you just need to stay calm and not hurt the girl, and everything will work out." She inched closer as she stretched before idly scratching her hair.

She tapped her fingers against her bronze trident as she looked up at the blaring sun. "Sure is hot, today," She muttered, more to herself than him, before continuing. "So what's your name, buddy?"

"B-Bruno," He mumbled, shifting in spot as he studied her cautiously. "You speak my language, but are foreign...?"

She nodded as she continued to slowly, carefully make her way over. "Yeah... How did you know?"

"You're hair," He answered, suddenly grimacing and bending over, letting out a groan of pain before straightening up and putting the small pistol against the still-crying little girl. "Enough of this! Give me money, or she dies!" The armored girl stiffened, and her brows furrowed; partially in exasperation, partially in concern.

"You know who else is going to die if you pull that trigger?" She asked dryly. "_You_. I don't want anyone to die today, so you'd best take it easy, Bruno."

Bruno scowled and bit back another groan of agony as he pointed his gun at her. "I already feel like I'm going to die... I just need my fix. I-I swear, I'll quit after this last one!"

The girl heaved an exhausted sigh and looked up at the clear blue sky. "Are you a religious man, Bruno?" _Of course he was_. He was wearing a crucifix for fuck's sake! Bruno gave a tentative nod and she hummed as her light brown eyes met his dark ones. "I am as well, you know. Now let me ask you a thing: do you really think this is the path the Big Guy in the sky wants you to go down...?"

He hesitated. All the movement in the area seemed to still, and it became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. "I... no, but-but just one more fix! T-Then I'm done!"

"There's no time like the present." She reminded him, eyes locked with his as she boldly stepped closer. "Do you really think God would want this...? He cares about you. Your family cares about you-"

"I don't have a family."

She paused and blinked. "Family doesn't always have to be blood. It can be someone who cares-"

"No one cares about me." He muttered bitterly as she took another small step closer. "No one's _ever_ cared about me! I'm a fucking nobody! _A street rat!_"

She gave a small smile, testing the waters before taking another painstakingly small step. They were only five or six feet apart, now. _Progress_. "Well, there's a first for everything." The tired young woman straightened up and dusted off her jeans. "Hi. I'm Ashley. Ashley Catherine Edgewood. And... _I care_."

The teen froze, eyes widening as he stared at her. His lower lip trembled. "You... You're lying. Why would you lie about that?"

"I wouldn't. And I didn't. If I didn't care, I would have kept walking and ignored this whole thing. I care about that little girl you're threatening to shoot. I care about her family. I care about the cops surrounding us..." She finally right in front of him, putting her trident in a specially designed holster on her back. "But most of all, I care about _you_. You have your whole life ahead of you... If you stop this now, if you let the girl go, you won't be in as much trouble. People will help you. It'll be _so_ much easier if you let them help you... But if you keep going down this path..." She made a face as sweat trickled down her forehead. "It never ends. And it'll only get harder... Please, let the girl go, Bruno..."

He stopped and stared at Ashley for the longest time, before finally letting his arms fall to the side.

This boy, Bruno... He was scared. Ashley had had that figured out when she first saw him. And now that she was standing right in front of him, she knew _what_ he was scared of.

His addiction. He was afraid he would never manage to kick it. He feared he would never have a home. Never have a family. Never have anyone who _cares_ about him or his well-being. He was also afraid of going to jail for the rest of his life, and, despite his earlier words, of dying.

_Man, _she had hit the nail right on the head... Getting unconscious premonitions about people's fears was seriously a nice perk when it came to being the Spirit of Courage...

As the girl scampered into the line of police, Ashley held her arms out. It only took Bruno half a second to respond and lean into the hug, sniffling into her shoulder as she rubbed his back."I didn't mean for it to get this bad... I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't, kiddo," She sighed, "I don't think anyone ever really does..." As the police officers swarmed around the two, Bruno hid his face into her shoulder. She ruffled his hair. "Don't be scared, Bruno."

* * *

Ashley yawned as she trudged through the streets of New York. She got a couple of looks which, _really_, was kind of understandable. She _was_ carrying a trident around, as mentioned before. And her face was pretty scarred up, too.

Not only that, but she was also in armor. The girl had been in armor since she first became the Spirit of Courage two years ago, and it became like a second skin she would only shed on the rare occasions she slept. A leather cuirass hugged her torso, and her left arm was covered with a thick, durable cloth held in place by leather straps. A battle-scarred bronze shoulder guard went over her left shoulder, with faint symbols and pictures lining the edge, and a small shield with a tribal bear snarling on the front was strapped to her forearm. A thick leather and bronze-plated bracer covered her other forearm, and a raggedy, dull-red, and hooded cloak covered her right shoulder.

With a gladius hanging from her belt, greaves strapped to her shins, and metal-toed combat boots donning her feet, she could understand why she always got stared at when she decided to be visible to the large population of people she protected and guided.

And that, as a guy dressed in a Master Chief cosplay suit complimented her 'costume', was also why she decided that she _loved_ Comic-Con. She was still getting looks, but instead of cautious and befuddled stares, they were looks of admiration and a light-hearted curiosity.

Someone bumped into her as she stopped to look at one of the signs advertising Comic-Con, and Ashley mumbled an apology before nudging them and pointing to the billboard with a proud smile, "Hey, you see that guy...? I saved his life, once, before he got famous."

The person, a Homestuck cosplayer, glanced up, only to snort. "_That_ guy...? _Suuuuureeee_ you did, crazy lady." He rolled his eyes before continuing on his way. "You know, I've met a bunch of other people who supposedly '_saved Charlie Thickett's life_'..."

_If he only knew_. A tired, grim smile crossed her face as she remembered how _close_ Charlie had come to ending his own life. After a few seconds, she shook herself and pushed her way into the large building.

Now, Ashley wasn't very familiar with Comic-Con, but she knew enough that most of the people behind the booths were really friendly and helpful and, after taking a few pictures with random people on their request (Hell, she certainly didn't mind), found the place she wanted to be. The double doors were opened, but the insides were packed. The excited chatter of people filtered out of the large room, and the Spirit of Courage braced herself for the excruciating sound of screaming fangirls that was sure to come before putting her trident into the specially made holster strapped to her back, and stepping into the maw of the beast...

To put it simply: it sucked. A lot. She had to squeeze, shove, elbow, and at two points, _crawl_ through the hot and sweaty mass of bodies on her way to the front. And half way through, the cast came out and piercing screams that faintly reminded the girl of _fearlings_ filled the air and that may or may not have made her partially deaf.

Her eyes saw her target, and she gave a brief prayer before hopping over the barrier and up onto the stage.

The _second_ she stood up, screams erupted from the crowd again and security guards sprinted up, only to stop as the star of the cast screamed into the microphone for them to stop. Charlie stood up and walked around the table, a dazed look on his face as he stared at Ashley. The whole stadium went still.

A goofy grin crossed her face before she could stop it. "Charlie _mother-fucking_ Thickett. I have been waiting for _a year_ to tell you: _I called it!"_ Charlie blinked as the girl threw up her arms in victory.. "God _damn_, I should be a psychic! Talent, man. _I got it_."

He breathed a laugh before stepping forward and engulfing her in a hug. "You know," He spoke into her cloaked shoulder, "I never got your name..."

"Ashley. It's Ashley Edgewood." She pulled away and faced the sea of people, grabbing one of Charlie's arms and throwing it in the air. "This is Charlie Thickett! I don't watch his show much - I don't have a TV - but he is an absolute sweetheart and if you don't love him as much as I did, and _still do_, YOU ARE WRONG!" As the crowd erupted with screams, questions, and chatter, she pulled Charlie back into a quick hug, kissed his forehead, and flashed him a tired, albeit genuine smile as his cheeks flushed pink before whooping and swan-diving into the ocean of people.

There was a flourish of excitement as the crowd tried and failed to locate the mystery girl, who, by then, was already out of the building and chuckling under her breath to herself.

"_That_ is gonna be one _hell_ of a Comic-Con for fans of the show." She mused to herself, dodging a Pac-Man and jogging down the street before turning into an alley. She stifled a yawn before stretching and observing the cement with a careful eye. Her eyes lit up as she caught what she was looking for and strolled over to the small crack with a flowering plant growing out of it.

Yeah... from time to time, Ashley would use Bunnymund's tunnels to get around (if she didn't feel like hitchhiking, but one couldn't exactly hitchhike to the North Pole.) But, really... she couldn't expect to get where she wanted. The girl just wasn't as good as navigating through the tunnels as Bunnymund was. Why, not too long ago, she tried to use them to get to Florida and she'd ended up in _Australia_. Where pretty much _everything wants to kill you_. Luckily, animals tend to have a respect for her, or, at the very least, know not to fuck with her. Australia was no different...

Though... there was that _one_ koala bear. She had nudged the damnedable thing on accident with the back of her boot, and the thing went _insane_. It chased her around half the goddamned continent, and ended up chasing her off a _cliff!_ She was lucky... Being a spirit meant that you couldn't really die, so she'd just laid at the bottom of the cliff a few days before waking up with a scraped up and sore _everything_.

Not a _great_ experience, to say the least...

But yeah, point is: she couldn't expect _too_ much from using the tunnels.

So, with a tentative grimace, she tapped her boot-clad foot on the crack and a hole opened up in the ground. She muttered a quick prayer that she _wouldn't_ end up in Australia again before muttering, "_Just this once... please_, get it right..."

Hopping in and yelping as the dimly-lit tunnel made a sharp turn, she slid for a few minutes before a hole opened up, and the tunnel spit the girl out onto snow before closing back up.

Ashley blinked and looked around cautiously, only to sigh in relief. "I got it right..." She pulled her trident from her back and used it to help pull herself back up. "_Hello, North Pole_..."

* * *

**Author's note~**

**I'M BACK, BITCHES! Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me! HA! Hahahaha! It's five in the morning and I feel great!**

**Well'p, here we go, guys. Another great adventure for Ash. More action. More friends. _Less Guardians_, unfortunately. But hey, we're gonna explore the world of spirits n' junk! Anywho... This is the sequel to my other story, _'Courage_'. If you're new, you might want to go read that before you keep going on this one, _but hey_. I don't judge. If you don't wanna, that's chill, too. I'm just hoping I didn't get any worse with writing... because that would suck.  
**

**I'm not sure there's many people who care for this anymore... _but oh well_. I'm doin' the sequel anyways, because I'M A REBEL. Er, at least, I like to _pretend_ I'm a rebel.  
**

**I hope this isn't _too_ bad... So, let me know if there's any mistakes or issues in her, other than the caffiene-high author that spazzes in the author's notes. And I hope that this humble, goofy story made you a smile a litte :) Cuz that's the goal. And if you _didn't_ like it, well... _Sorry_. Thanks for your time...? And I'll try harder next time, if there's a next time.**

******Bear with me guys! ********ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ**

**************, _Blue_**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello, room." Ashley grunted and she leaned her trident against the wall and began undoing the many straps of her armor, one by one as she slowly trudged to what she so desperately wanted.

Off went the sword. Off went the boots. Then the greaves. _Then_ she untied her laces as she hobbled and hopped towards the inviting mattress. And as she finally slipped off the boots, completing the trail of armor, she sighed, "_Hello, bed_," before dropping face-first into the fur blanket and mattress, "I haven't seen you in a while..."

She pulled off her red tank top and tossed it over the side of her bed, revealing her burgundy sports bra before squirming under the blanket and curling into a ball.

The girl briefly considered going to talk to some of her yeti friends, or maybe seeing Aleksei, her favorite puppy-like, huge and muscular and scarred reindeer, only to shrug the thought off. _Nah_... She wanted to, but she also wanted to sleep. She was just so tired... It felt like a weight was glued to her eyelids, and it was an absolute _struggle_ to keep them open. So she didn't.

And _just_ as she started drifting off to sleep, a cold breeze drifted in, and she tried not to groan.

"_Ashley!_"

"Hey, Frost," She mumbled in response, not bothering to open her eyes. The bed jumped as a certain winter spirit hopped on with an ecstatic grin that she didn't see.

Jack Frost was, well... _her boyfriend_, for lack of better word. Her skinny, white-haired, blue-eyed, pale-skinned, mischievous yet surprisingly sweet Guardian of a boyfriend that lacked an ounce of body heat. To put it simply. He brushed a strand of auburn hair from her scarred face. "_I missed you_."

"I missed you, too," She yawned, creaking an eye open to peek at him. "It's been, _what_, two, three-ish months...?"

"A little over four," Jack corrected before adding quickly, "_Not_ that I was... y'know... counting, or anything..."

Ashley's lips twitched up as his cheeks dusted with pink before scooting over a bit and lifting the covers. "Nap. You. Here. Please. Snuggle. Try to make up lost time." He gave a smile before leaning his staff against the bedside table and hopping in her cocoon of blankets. As she let the blanket drop, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cold lips against her warm ones. The girl whined against his lips, but let her hands slide up to tangle in his hair. "'M tired, babe..."

"I know." He murmured as he nuzzled the crook of her neck. "You know... Spirits technically don't really need sleep..."

The girl groaned in complaint, rubbing her cheek against the top of his head. "_Shush_... I'm sleepy... I demand sleep, God damnit."

Jack snorted and gave a fond smile before pressing his lips against her neck. "What happened to making up lost time...?"

His breath tickled her skin and sent a wave of shivers down her spine. _Damn him_. "Can I do it while I sleep?"

"Nope." He answered cheekily.

She groaned again. "Fu-_uck!_ Just... ten minutes, okay...? Just need ten minutes, Frost-butt... _ten_..."

The winter spirit tried not to look disappointed (not that it mattered, her eyes were closed) and bit back a sigh. "Okay, sure..." She mumbled a barely audible thank you before falling quiet. He ground his teeth together nervously before uttering out, "I love you..." She didn't react, and Jack pulled back only to have his shoulders droop as a silent snore left her. He hummed before brightening again and squirming closer to the delicious warmth that practically came off of her in _waves_. It was comforting. "It's okay... I found the nerve to say it once, I can do it again. _Probably_. In ten minutes. Ten..."

* * *

Well...

That ten minutes turned into twenty. And twenty in to thirty. Thirty in to forty. And so on... As was mentioned before, it had been four months since the teen had seen her, and the small meeting before had been pretty brief. It had been a long time since he had _really_ looked at Ashley, and he quickly found that, _Man in the Moon_, she looked exhausted. Worn out...

He couldn't help but wonder why. She had never really talked about what she did when she was away, but every time he saw her, she looked older. And that shouldn't have even been _possible_. She was physically stuck at nineteen, after all! Or twenty if you asked her, because apparently her birthday had passed before she'd been resurrected, but still!

Her nose started to twitch. That was the only warning Jack got before the girl's face twisted with pain and fear as she quickly sat up, waking up swinging. Luckily, Jack knew enough that when she woke up like that, you _ducked_. And duck he did.

Once he was sure she wasn't going to lash out a second time, he sat up. His salt and pepper eyebrows drew together in concern as Ashley covered her face with her hands and trembled like she was freezing. Only... Ashley never got cold. Not even after snuggling with _him_... Which was, more or less, the equivalent of hugging a snowman.

Before the winter spirit could even _attempt_ to comfort her, the first words out of her mouth were harsh and angry, "_I told you ten minutes!_" Jack froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights as another wave of tremors washed over her. She roughly scrubbed her face with her hands to compose herself before looking back at him, only to have her anger drain out like a balloon with a hole in it as Jack gave her a kicked puppy look.

_Shit_... There she went, messing up again... It wasn't _his_ fault she'd had a nightmare... The girl tangled her fingers in her hair and tugged before heaving a sigh in defeat as she pulled him into a hug. "_Damn it_, I'm sorry, babe," She sighed, "Just... a nightmare."

He froze. "A _Pitch Black_ nightmare...?"

"No, no," She assured him quietly, lips twitching up as she felt him melt into the hug. Once she was sure he wasn't upset with her (which, really, _he never was_) she did the same. "A regular one."

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked gently, sighing in content as she ran a hand through his hair.

"Nah..." Ashley smirked as he pulled her into his lap. "Wanna just catch up, now...? I mean... _I'm up now_, so..." She jumped as his cold hands went from her pants-covered hips to the small of her (mostly) bare back, and breathed a laugh. "I guess that's a yes." He hummed and nuzzled the crook of her neck, and her smile grew as he pressed his lips against the light pulse from her neck. "If you ever tell anyone I said this, I'll deny it outright, but... you brighten the _hell_ out of my life."

Jack snorted and grinned up at her. "That was awfully _cheesy_... _I like it_. Continue."

She jumped as she felt the scrape of teeth against her skin and raised a brow as she tried to look unamused before chuckling. "You're the light of my life." She exclaimed overdramatically, hand motions and all. "My passion for you burns with the intensity of a thousand suns- _Gah!_" She yelped as nipped her.

Jack pulled away and gave her a cheeky look. "What...? I'm looking for your spot." She cocked her head to the side, and he smirked. "You know... _that_ spot."

She jumped. "_No!_" The girl protested, though not moving away, "I make stupid noises, damnit!"

"I know, that's why I like it," He laughed, "It's cute."

Ashley made a face. "There are things _you_ do that are cute, too, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna embarrass you by doin' it. _Jack-ass_."

"You could," He chimed, raising a brow suggestively, "I mean, it's just the two of us, soo..."

_Was he implying what she thought he was, or was that just her dirty mind...?_ She raised a brow. "You really wanna go there...?"

"_Yes._"

Her skin leapt in place, and she had to _force_ herself to keep from jumping away with a yelp. The girl studied him suspiciously. "Have you been watching porn...?"

Jack faltered and blinked. "What's 'porn'?"

"Okay, you haven't," She confirmed with a small nod before slipping her hands under his blue, frosted hoodie, smirking as he inhaled sharply. "_God_, I love doing that..."

"_God_, I love it when you do that..." He breathed.

"_God_, you're such a horny teenager." She teased lightly.

"_God_, you're so old and prude-ish." Jack shot back.

"_God_, I'll show you who's prude-ish when I _sex you up!_" She fired back. Much to her disappointment, his cheeks only turned a _little_ pink.

"I don't think I'd be _terribly_ upset if you did." He replied cheekily, laughing as she lightly pushed him.

Ashley huffed and crossed her arms. "You don't _blush_ anymore..." She pouted. "You're no fun..."

"You wanna test that...?" He leaned his forehead against hers.

She couldn't help it... she threw her head back and laughed, ignoring as he inched closer and nuzzled his nose against her neck. "My God, you really _are_ a horny teen!" He shrugged, _not even denying it_, and she smiled.

Not a smirk, or that crooked little grin of hers, but a genuine, adoring _smile_. Not that Jack would ever admit it, but when she did that, his whole chest felt like it was blown up with helium and warmth...

"_ASHVEY!_"

Said girl cried out in surprise and leaped back, dropping out of the bed and onto the floor. "_North!_ You don't need to yell, I'm not deaf! Though, at this rate, I will be soon..."

The huge, giant of a man, gave a sheepish smile, walking over and lifted her straight up off the ground by her arm. "My apologies, Ashvey... Vhy did you not tell us of your visit? I vould have prepared feasts!"

She gave a sheepish grin right back and shrugged a scarred shoulder. "Oh, you know... I didn't wanna stir anything up. Just wanted a nap, is all..." She faltered as she remembered something and added, "And I was gonna ask if I could borrow Aleksei."

North's brows rose in surprise. "Truly...? I thought you vere afraid of flying...?"

"Oh, I am," She waved a hand dismissively, "But Bunny's tunnels aren't really working for me... I tried to go to Florida, ended up in Australia; bottom line, everything there wants to kill you and I fell off of a cliff... and since I can't fly, I landed on rocks and was knocked out for a couple of days..." She trailed off a bit awkwardly, still hanging from North's grip as both North and Jack's brows drew together in concern as they cried out.

"_Vhat?!_ Are you alright?!"

"What?! _Why didn't you say something?!_

She raised a brow with a scoff. "_Of course_, I'm okay... I didn't mention it because that was like, _a week and a half ago_, man. But... I'd still rather not do something like that again, and I trust Aleksei more than the slide-y tunnels of death. Also," Her voice went quieter and sheepish as she asked, "Can you put me down...?"

As the man set her down with a mumbled apology, Jack spoke up with a suggestion. "Or _I_ could fly you around... I wouldn't mind it, you know." The girl rolled her shoulder before walking over and throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"I know you could, Nipper, but I go to places that _aren't_ in the Arctic Circle," She said, unspoken apologies in her voice as she lightly bonked her head against his. "And too much hot makes you sick. _Remember...?_"

Being reminded of the one time he had went along with her to Hawaii (where most of the trip had ended up consisting of her stealing slushies and ice bags from visitors and pouring them on him to keep him from overheating,) he winced but added, "_Worth it_."

Ashley gave him a look. "No... _It wasn't_. You enjoyed yourself for _seven minutes_, and the rest of the _six hour trip_ was spent with you in a kiddie pool while I threw ice packs on you. And we were _lucky_ it was night time... if it had been in the middle of the day, you could have _died_. _It was a horrible, horrible time_."

He cracked a grin as he protested, "But I saw my first tiki hut! _And_ I got that cool tribal mask!"

She deadpanned. "Was the mask worth almost dying and making me prematurely age?"

"_Yes_."

The two stared at each other for a minute, Jack with a grin, Ashley with an _extremely_ unamused look on her face. After a bit, her lips twitched up. "Okay, it _was_ pretty funny when you made it hail and made the whole world freak out," She admitted with a small laugh as she recalled the children gaping at the little balls of ice bouncing on the ground. "But still... _let's not_ and say we did."

North gave a hearty laugh, and Jack pouted but nodded with a sigh. "_Fine_..."

With that situation taken care of, she looked back at North and gave a winning smile. "Soo... can I borrow Aleksei?"

The giant man hummed and stroked his beard. "Vell... Aleksei _has_ been getting restless. As long as you have him back in time for Christmas, I suppose it vould not harm-"

"Great, thanks North!"

She was already across the room, tank top on and fastening the straps that held her cuirass. "Hey," Jack protested, "What about catching up?"

The girl froze, halfway through pulling on her other boot. "Well... I _was_ going to, but..." As she finished pulling on her boot, she looked back over, only to see Jack, looking like a puppy that brought a dead squirrel as a gift only to get it rejected. Her shoulders dropped as her resolve melted with all the speed of a lightning strike. "I..." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, strolling over leisurely and pretending to punch his arm. "We are, Frost-butt. _Chill._"

North beamed. "Excellent! Ve shall prepare feast! I vill go make preparations..." The man continued talking excitedly as he bounded out, and Ashley idly scratched one of the deeper scars on her cheek as she mused to herself in her head. _She was kind of like a burnt marshmallow, now_... Black and rough looking on the outside, warm and gooey and squishy on the inside. _And it was all Jack's fault_. She used to have a reputation! Before, only _Zach_ knew how squishy she really was...

"I'm the _king_ of chill," The teen scoffed, drawing her out of her grumpy thoughts, throwing an arm over her shoulder and subtly hugging her while he stretched to grab his staff. "_You're_ the one who needs to chill. It's been months since you've taken a break, Ash." His cheeks turned a light pink. "I've missed you."

She tried not to smile as she lightly bonked her head against his shoulder. "_Yeah, yeah_... don't get mushy on me, now." The girl started towards where the rest of her armor had been discarded, only to falter as she noticed Jack was following her. "Give me a second, would ya? I'm not going anywhere, I just gotta get my shield and tie up my laces so I don't trip or anything - _oof!_" As she was speaking of her untied laces, she stepped on them and fell with a loud yelp and a _thump!_

Jack tried not to laugh as he rushed over, helping her sit up and biting back a smirk. "You okay?"

"_Nope_," She muttered grumpily, playfully shoving him off of her and slumping back down on the ground. "Today just isn't my day... _I quit_. There was the whole hostage thing that nearly got me shot, I got tased, and I almost got stabbed helping that one guy, and I'm just one hundred and ten percent _done_."

The boy sat down next to her curled form and started to grin, only to falter as his brows drew together in concern. He leaned down a bit closer to hear her better as she used his leg as a pillow. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, there was this whole hostage situation in Brazil with a drug addict that had a little girl." She huffed irritably and shut her eyes. "So, I ended up fixing that... almost got shot at on numerous occasions, and when I got him to calm down and let the girl go, the police fuckin' _tasered me_. And then I had to intervene into a mugging. The usual..." She peeked an eye open to look at him. "Getting tasered _sucks_. Don't do that."

He snorted and lightly hit her upside her head with his staff. "I won't."

Ashley shot him a look. "No, seriously... _Don't_. I thought I was gonna _die_. It was a terrible, terrible time. My whole body felt all shaky and junk for a while after. I never realized how sucky it was until it happened... I swear, I saw stars. _It was crazy_, man!" She made a face. "_They freakin' tasered me!_"

This time, he couldn't help it. He threw his head back and laughed.

"Yeah, _laugh_ at my misery." She pretended to pout for a moment before cracking a grin and rolling off of him, army crawling to where the rest of her armor lay, stopping when reaching a piece and putting it on before crawling her way to the next.

When she was finally done, she looked back over at Jack, who had an amused smirk on his face. She then promptly stuck her tongue out at him before pulling herself up and grabbing her trident, which was leaning against the bedside table, and stuck it in the specially-made holster on her back.

'Alright, so... what do you wanna do, Frost?" She stretched. "Mess with the yetis...? Go out on Aleksei?" A grin spread on her face. "Go sledding? _That's_ always a trip, man. Fun times, all around."

The white-haired teen hummed, and scratched the back of his head. "Actually, before that... I was kind of, sort of wondering if you'd... like to go on a date...?"

She blinked and stared at him for a while, sending the winter spirit into blushes, and cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right... come again...?"

Suddenly finding his staff to be the most interesting thing in the room, he mumbled. "A date."

"_Oh_... I heard you right then." Her eyebrows shot up and she slowly leaned down and grabbed her gladius, tying it to her belt before putting her hands on her hips and humming thoughtfully. "Alright... This sudden want to go on a date isn't because you think I'm cheating on you, is it...? Or maybe _you're_ cheating on me...?"

He jumped up like something had stung him. "_Of course not!_"

She gave a grin. "You jumped to deny that one awfully quick... should I be concerned?"

Jack huffed and all but tackled her. "_Shut up_."

"Practice what you preach, man," She shot back with a roll of her eyes and a smile, "You know I'm joking..." She raised a brow as she threw an arm over his shoulder. "But seriously... you really wanna go on a date...?" He gave a curt nod and a sheepish smile, and Ashley shrugged. "Alright... So... like, right now...?"

The teen lightly nudged her with his elbow. "Not _right_ now. Maybe next Thursday night at the movie theater back home in Burgess...?"

"The AMC, or Dandy's place...?"

"Dandy's." He confirmed, shyness creeping into his voice. "Unless-unless you wanna go somewhere else-"

She cut him off with a grin. "Dandy's is great. I've always liked it best." He gave a barely audible sigh of relief, and she scoffed. "What, did you think I'd say _no_...? We are _kind of_ together, already."

Jack rolled his eyes, cheeks turning pink as he lightly pushed her. "Don't be a butt."

"_Bite me_." She strolled her way to the door. "Anywho, let's head out, I'm getting kind of hungr-_woah!_" The girl suddenly felt cool arms wrap around her, and a sharp pain came on her neck. She let out a yelp, jabbing Jack in the side (not nearly as hard as could, and probably _should_ have) with her elbow as she gave him a look. "Dude, '_the fuck?!_" Ashley felt her neck before glaring. "You _bit me!_ You fucking _vampire!_"

The winter spirit smirked. "You told me to!"

"There's spit!" She griped, feeling the bite mark again. "And your _teeth!_ Biting me with your-your spirit teeth! I've got teeth marks and everything!"

"_You told me to bite you!_" He laughed.

She shot him a look. "If I told you to jump off a bridge, would you?!"

Jack chuckled. "Maybe... it might be fun!"

Throwing her hands up in the air, she huffed as she trudged out. "And they say _I'm_ the crazy one! And I _swear_, if you actually jump off of a bridge, I'm _not_ catching you this time!"

He snorted and grinned, laughing under his breath as he trailed after her.

"_I'm serious!_ I've got enough to stress and worry about _without_ you throwing yourself from high places!" She tangled a hand in her hair, grumbling, "I catch you when you're falling _a couple of freakin' times_, and suddenly you try to make it a _thing_..."

"Hey, I didn't drop my staff on purpose!" He protested lightly.

Ashley shot him a look and pointed accusingly at him. "_Bull shit_, Frost."

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "_I really missed you_, Ash."

* * *

**Author's note~**

**I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT YOU GUYS, DON'T WORRY! Just... I'm in a _really_ good groove for another goofy lil' tale o' mine, and I'm tryin' not to mess it up, yo. I GOT THIS THO.**

**Hnng, lemme love ALL OF YOU. You frickin' people man. You FRIGGIN PEOPLE. You're killing me with kindness and I love it! I really hope I don't disappoint, yo.**

**I could go on, but I'm gonna keep this short, sweet, and to the point. I love all of you. I hope I do good with this. Let me know if I made any errors or something. I hope my lame little tale made you smile :)**

**, _Blue_**


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley grimaced as she walked with a slight limp to the ice caves. Jack slunk behind her guiltily.

"_Sorry_..." He mumbled quietly.

The girl stopped mid step and turned to look at the winter spirit incredulously. "For what...?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile. "Well... for tripping you. For freezing the steps and making you fall down them... y'know... _that_. Sorry..."

She snorted, waving him off and continuing on her way, "It's fine, man... The bruises are gonna fade in a couple of hours, no worries, babe."

"Still feel kinda bad, though..."

"_Don't_."

Jack didn't reply and she rolled her eyes, but didn't pursue it. The girl pushed the huge, heavy wooden door that led to the stables with a small grunt, and her eyes lit up as her gaze met a certain reindeer's.

The huge, thickly-muscled reindeer snorted loudly and kicked his stall door to the side, racing out and stopping right in front of her. She grinned and cooed as the reindeer nuzzled the top of her head. "Hey, buddy. How've you been?" He all but _purred_ as she ran her fingers through his thick fur, and she chuckled. "Sorry I haven't been around much. You _know_ I don't mean to neglect ya or anything, I've just been busy; no more of that, though, so no worries." Her eyes lit up as she rested her forehead against the beast's massive head. "And you know what else? _North said I can take you with me when I go_."

Aleksei's bright brown, almost _orange_ eyes lit up, and he reared up with a keening noise. Jack tried to pull her back with his staff, but she just dodged and grabbed it, pulling him to her side calmly. As Aleksei dropped back down heavily, Jack flinched, but they were both unharmed.

She looked at him smugly. "See? I know my reindeer; he wouldn't ever hurt me." She patted her chest, "_I got this_."

Aleksei snorted in agreement, and the teen raised his arms defensively. "Okay, _fine_. I was just trying to look out for you..."

"Well, _don't_." Ashley threw an arm around his shoulders and lightly bonked her head against his. "I'm a big girl. If I get hurt, it's _my_ fault. I appreciate it and all, though, so thanks, Frost-_butt_. _Still got this, though_."

He rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless."

"I know," She grinned and gestured to herself. "It's part of my charm... Any who, I've been due to visit the baby for like... _two and a half months_. I've gotta dash." The girl fondly nuzzled his head before going to Aleksei's side. "Thursday at Dandy's, right?" When he nodded, she grunted in response and scrambled up the beast's side. Once she was situated well enough, she gave a two-fingered salute. "I'll try to find some clothes that _aren't_ armor, but don't expect _too_ much. See ya then, Nipper."

Jack gave a small wave and smiled back, leaning on his staff. "See you, Ash." He chewed on his lip a bit before saying a lot quieter, "I love you."

Ashley froze, and her eyes widened. "I... _what now?_"

He fidgeted before saying louder. "I-I love you." Once he was done, he looked at her expectantly.

The girl blinked. She could practically _hear_ the little siren in her head. _Panic initiated_. "Oh, I, uh..." Her voice cracked, and her face suddenly felt a few degrees too warm. "I... _yeah_. You-I..." She coughed and cleared her throat as she stuttered, suddenly feeling just a _little bit_ nauseous because _holy shit he just said 'I love you' to her_, and he was _serious_, and just-_what?!_ "You... I-I, uh... _Yeah_..."

He snorted and gave a cheeky grin. "It's not often _you're_ the one blushing. I feel accomplished."

She gave him a look. "_Shut up_. I'll see you Thursday." She stuck her tongue out when he smirked, and she leaned closer to Aleksei. "Can you take me to see Zach, bud?" The reindeer snorted as though he were insulted she even had to _ask_, before taking off down the ice tunnels.

* * *

Ashley silently pushed the window open, a wicked smile growing on her face as she saw Zach and Jamie, facing away from her as they played a game on the Xbox. She snuck over, slowly, silently, until she got right to the backs of the two. The girl took a deep breath, kneeling down close to their heads and...

"_WHAT'RE YOU TWO DOING?!_"

Girly screams left both of the boy's mouths, and she cracked up as they grabbed onto each other. Zach's head whipped back, and he shoved her. As she fell over onto her side, she roared with laughter, Zach scowled and jumped on her as Jamie held his racing heart.

"You nearly gave us _heart attacks!_" Zach _tried_ to look mad, but he failed and settled with hugging her around her torso. "_Jerk._"

She grinned and ruffled his hair. "Love ta, too, kiddo." She looked over at Jamie and wiggled her fingers in a wave as she sat up, one arm over Zach. "And hello to you, too, Jamie. Where's my flippin' hug?"

The kid cracked a smile and jumped at her with a laugh. "You _really_ scared us." He made a face as she ruffled his hair and pretended to shove her hand off with disgust. "We were playing Dead Space..."

"_Ooh_, violence and gore; _love it_." She didn't forget that it was a M-rated game, however, and lightly flicked the two boys heads. "But you two are _too young_ to be playing that kind of stuff. Shouldn't you be playing something like... _I dunno_, maybe _Pokémon_."

Zach snorted and lightly head butted her. "Oh, yeah, _animal abuse_. That's _so_ much better..." He quirked a brow, green eyes bright as he quipped, "And _you_ played _Halo_ before you were even in kindergarten, you hypocrite."

"Well, _yeah_," She chuckled and gestured to herself. "That should be the _exact reason_ you shouldn't be playing this. I played M-rated stuff, and look at how _I_ turned out."

Jamie snickered and pretended to punch her in the gut, laughing as she dramatically keeled over. "What are you talking about...? You're _awesome_."

Ashley puffed out her chest, patting herself on the back. "I _am_ pretty awesome, aren't I...?"

Her brother scoffed to Jamie and grinned. "Don't lie to her... She's a _hobo_."

"Your _face_ is a hobo!" She shot back.

"_That didn't make any sense_."

The two stared down for a bit before breaking out into laughs. Ashley cuffed the boy in the ear playfully before pulling him into a bear hug. "_Man_, I missed you..."

"I missed you, too." She felt him grin into the crook of her neck as he hugged her tightly. "And your _late_, by the way..."

The spirit of courage grunted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... _I know_. If it's any consolation, it was _Australia's_ fault. _Every_ fucking thing in that place wants to kill you, and then there's cliffs and just; _things_. I got tased. It was nuts." As the boy pulled away to look at her bewilderedly, she grimaced. "Getting tasered _sucks_, by the way. Don't do that, lil' Z."

The two boys laughed, and the green-eyed boy poked her stomach. "I don't plan on it, don't worry."

"_Good_." She sighed and nuzzled his head, asking hopefully, "You wanna go make me some coffee...?"

Zach playfully shoved her with a smile. "You are _so_ lazy."

"_I love you_." She offered meekly. An afterthought hit her, and she briefly wondered why it felt so different, so much _harder_ to say that to Jack because she _may or may not_ have felt a little guilty for leaving him hanging.

_Blegh_... she could work it out with him later, she decided. _Now was kiddie time_.

The boy huffed and crossed his arms before dragging himself up and heading to the door, grumbling under his breath, "You suck..."

"I love you!" She repeated louder, turning to Jamie and grinning. "_So_. Can I play with you guys?"

"Of course," He scoffed, beaming as he grabbed the controller and tossed it to her stomach. "Are you any good?"

Ashley quirked a brow as she unpaused it. "Kid, I used to work at a _video game store_, remember...? Games were how I earned my living. _Yes_, I'm good. _Shi-ot_... _Bitches better recognize_."

Jamie snorted and grinned. "Oh, so I'm your bitch now?"

The girl started to laugh and retort, only to freeze and slowly turn her head to look at him, pulling a 'Stewie Griffin' and asking, "_What the bloody hell did you just say?!_"

"What are you, now, _British?_" He started to laugh, only to yelp as she pushed him over onto his side.

"_CURSING IS BAD, M'KAY?!_" She said as loudly as she could without screaming, trying to refrain from tackling the boy again as he pushed himself up. "I will legitly sing the '_It's easy m'kay_' song every time I see you if you do that again!"

He tried not to laugh as her eye twitched. "You only curse _all the time_," He pointed out, "And you're not bad."

"But I'm not _good_, either!" She huffed angrily. "I'm more like a... _chaotic neutral_. Or a lawful evil..." She shook her head vigorously and reminded herself to _focus_ before turning back to him and shaking her finger like one would do to scold a puppy. "But anyways... NO."

"_Okay_," Jamie smiled, laughing as she threw a sock at him, "Okay... I won't curse."

She huffed and crossed her arms, grumbling under her breath, "_You'd better not_. _Shi-ot_."

* * *

After catching up with her favorite kids, Ash had decided to eat. Because, although she didn't necessarily need to eat anymore being a spirit and all, she just liked to. There was just something she liked about the familiar normalcy of going to a fast food restaurant.

So, when she walked into Wendy's to get a frosty and french fries, armor and all, she didn't expect to get tackled by a guy with hair so red that it looked like fire. For one, well... _people usually gave her a wide berth_, what with her armor and all. And, well... strangers usually don't tackle strangers. So _yeah_, she was pretty damn surprised... Especially since it was only _two in the morning_.

Ashley staggered and grunted, falling back against the wall to keep from falling as arms wrapped around her middle. "_It's you!_ I have always heard about you but I never thought I would actually meet you; I am such a big fan!"

"_Uh_," She resisted the urge to body slam him as she shared a bewildered look with the lady behind the counter. "Thanks, I guess...? What-what are you a fan of, exactly?"

He pulled away but still stayed closer than what was comfortable and beamed, showing off dimples and the shock of white teeth against his ruddish, tawny skin. He leaned in even closer, and Ashley bit back a grimace as she put her head as back as it could go with the wall there. "_I know_," He whispered, backing up a bit to look around suspiciously before leaning back closer. "You are the spirit of courage."

Eyes going wide, this time she didn't resist the urge and she pushed him away. As he stumbled a bit, she grabbed him by the collar of his black dress shirt and dragging him to the isolated bathroom hallway, away from the prying eyes of the woman behind the counter.

"How do you know about that?" She growled, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she forced the tall man to her height. "You'd better spill, buck-o, before my hand slips..."

He grinned, completely unafraid as he willingly lowered. "Don't worry," He told her cheerfully, lightly accented voice lowering as he whispered, "_I'm a spirit, too_."

Her eyes widened as her brows shot up, and she immediately let go of him. "What? _More_...?"

The man smoothed the collar of his shirt, the first three buttons undone, and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it before puffing out his chest proudly. "I'm Seth, and I've heard _so much_ about you." He bowed and took her hand without asking, chastely pressing his lips against her knuckles. "It is truly an honor."

Ashley blinked, brows furrowing as she shook her hand from his and not-so-subtly wiped her hand off. "Um... yeah, sure, you, too... I'm Ashley."

"Well, of course I know who you are!" His dark eyes were bright as he smiled down at her. "I very much admire you and your work. You have become so dedicated to your cause... if you do not mind me asking, what was it that made you so determined in your work?"

She immediately darkened and glared. "Well, _tough shit_, bud, but I _do_ mind you asking. Mind your own business, would ya?"

His gave an apologetic look and bowed his head lightly. "But of course, my sincerest apologies..." The auburn-haired girl just grunted and gave a curt nod, and he quickly brightened. "How about this; as a more appropriate apology, your meal here will be covered by me."

The girl faltered and glanced up at the guy, who was at least a full head and a half taller. Well... _free food_. "Sure, why not." She sighed and shrugged a shoulder.

Seth beamed and put an arm over her shoulder as he lead her out of the hallway and to the counter. "Excellent. What would you like?"

"Just wanted a chocolate frosty and some fries..."

He nodded and pulled a fistful of crinkled money from his jeans pocket. "Most certainly." He nodded at the girl behind the register and dropped the money on the counter "Two large chocolate frosty's, large fries, and a spicy chicken sandwich. Keep the change, and if you could have it brought to us, that would be lovely."

Turning with a flourish, he led her to a table. As Ashley dropped into a seat, she raised a brow. "I would've waited and brought it, if you wanted. I mean, since you're payin' and all..."

"Nonsense!" He waved a hand in the air and scoffed good-naturedly. "We're _gods_. Standing and waiting is for mortals... In fact, I was being _far_ nicer to the mortal than I had to be."

_Uh_... "I wouldn't say all _that_," She said slowly, cautiously, watching him for any signs of being a _lunatic_. "Some of my favorite people happen to be mortals... And they _are_ kind of the reason we have powers, aren't they...?"

"_Oh_, Ashley..." Seth gave an amused smile, like she had made a joke. "Mortals are merely a means to an end. Do you not know...?"

She blinked, furrowing a brow. "Know...? Know what?"

He simply waved her question off, brightening even more than usual as he looked behind her. "Ah, here comes our meal."

Ashley pouted a bit to herself, shooting the odd man another look. This guy was really weird... But as the lady put the tray down, and as he slid her frosty to her from across the table before gesturing to the fries he dumped onto the tray, she found that she didn't really care as much as she should have. Because, _really_, anyone that gave her free food was _okay_ in her book...

* * *

**Author's note~**

**IT'S A TRAP D: Or is it just a cocky fanboy spirit...? It's a mYsTeRy...**

**Yeah, I don't even have words to describe how terrible of a person I am for updating so late. GIVE ME YOUR WORST, I DESERVE IT. And I will probably continue to deserve it because another story kinda has my full attention right not...? Oops. I think I'm just gonna wait until I finish it up, so the updates'll happen on schedule and shtuff...**

**YEAH I KNOW I SUCK LIFE SUCKS. I have to start _excercising_ because my dad wants me to join the Air Force and that seems like the best idea I can think of so yeah. Yeah...**

**, _Blue_**


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley frowned to herself as she pulled at the shirt collar. She was out of her armor and without any of her weapons, and, _quite frankly_, she felt naked. The only thing she could think was that _Jack had better fuckin' appreciate this_.

In jeans, somewhat clean converse, a decent red tanktop than wasn't ripped up or stained with mud, oil, and _that might have been blood_, with her old leather bomber jacket, she shifted as she glanced at the wristwatch she had borrowed from Zach. _Where the fuck was Frost...?_

She shoved her hands in her jacket pocket and waltzed over to the wall, leaning against it with a huff. _Dude_... she could be in New York right now, stopping a _murder_... but instead, she was waiting around like a lovesick teenager waiting for her douchebag boyfriend!

Frowning to herself, she peeked into the window to peer at the clock, only to sink. _Nine forty-six_...

"_Lame_." She groaned, getting off the wall and wiping off her shoulder. "Screw this, I've been waiting for almost _three hours_... I'm not waiting anymore," She breathed to herself, shoving her hands in her pocket and heading down the street to where Aleksei was. "He's a busy guy, _I can respect that_, but so am I. Got stuff to do and people to talk to..."

But _right_ as she turned a corner, she ran into a furry chest with an _oof!_ Bunnymund, with the same jeweled bracers and leather-wrapped feet.

Just as she started to greet her furry friend, he grabbed her shoulders, panting, "_I've been lookin' ev'ryewhere_ for ya, Ash!"

"Here I am," Her brows drew together in concern. "What's up, Bunny; what's wrong?"

He tugged her along. "_It's Jack_, Ash, he got hurt!"

She gave him a look. "_You're kidding_."

"_No!_" His ears drew back. "Why would I joke 'bout somethin' like that?! I found 'im with 'is 'ead in a pool a' blood! He's at the Pole, now, we gotta go!"

She blinked and gave a faint nod. "Alrighty then... I already have a ride, so just go one without me..." And then, she _took the fuck off_. She sprinted for the park, and all but tripped over herself in her rush to get to Aleksei. The feeling of running _all too slow_ was horridly familiar to her, and it felt like ages had passed until she reached Aleksei, who was snorting and throwing his head with unease.

As she clambered onto his back, he let out a croon that sounded mournful. She grabbed two fistfuls of his fur and leaned closer to his massive head. "Buddy, Aleksei, _please_, I need you to get back to North's Workshop as quick as you possibly can. Can you do that for me, just this once?"

The beast snorted, as if the fact that she even felt the need to _ask_ insulted him, before taking off into a sprint and leaping into the air.

* * *

With a sigh, Ashley let her head loll to the side as she kept an eye on Jack. Bunnymund was quietly snoring away in the next room, as it was roughly three or four in the morning...

Glancing around to make sure no yetis were around, she stood up and walked leisurely to one of the medicine cabinets and peeked inside, boredom finally catching up to her as she nosed through the medical supplies. _Was this what it had been like for Jack the many times _he _had waited for _her _to wake up after a serious injury...?_

_Blegh_. She hoped not...

The details on Jack's condition had been frugal at best, and downright _fucking frustrating_ at the worst. No one knew how, no one knew why, and no one knew if it had been an attack or an accident. And even worse, _no one had any food for her_. Her stomach was doing belly flops from nervousness, and, _let's be honest_, she ate when she was nervous... and stressed... and tired... and bored... and just upset in general. And she was feeling all of those at once... It probably wasn't the best way to cope, but it was _hers_.

The girl chewed on her lip as she glanced back at Jack, who was just as pale as ever, with the same blood-stained bandage wrapped around his head as before and his lids closed. Turning back to the opened cabinet with a huff, she dug her hand in and pulled out a rubber glove.

She stretched and twisted the fingers for a bit, before pulling it up to her mouth and blowing it up, watching with half-hearted amusement as the fingers popped up. She twisted the bottom and tied it before playing with the fingers and, eventually, making the blown-up glove flick off the door.

A snigger came from the bed, and the girl huffed. "Hey, don't be like that... I'm _bored_. Don't make me stomp you in the trachea."

"_Oh_, _really_ now?"

"Yeah, _really_," She turned to Jack and glared playfully, "I'll take you down, man..." Just as she finished her half-hearted threat, she realized that, _oh shit_, Jack was up! "_Jack_, you _ass-hat!_" She chuckled as she rushed over, only to falter as she noticed the look on his face.

The white-haired teen studied her curiously, cautiously, even. Confusion danced in his eyes as he looked at her, salt and pepper brows drawn together. "I... I'm sorry, but... _do I know you_...?"

_Ouch_. She covered up a flinch with a laugh. "Funny, Frost. Real funny..." The girl pulled up a chair and sat down heavily, running a hand through her hair with no amount of gentleness. "You stress me out, you know that?"

His brows drew together, his voice _genuinely confused_. "I... No, _seriously_. Who are you...?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach. "You... you really don't know...?" At his nod, the girl sank back in the chair with a low whine. "Oh... _of course_."

Jack's lips twitched down as he watched her. Regardless of whether or not he knew her, he felt bad for some reason... She had looked so _happy_ to see him - he could almost believe that he actually knew her... _he just didn't_. "I'm sorry," He offered weakly, gingerly reaching up to touch his head, only to jerk in place as his fingers brushed up against bandages. "_Woah_. What happened to me...?"

Ashley held her head in her hands as she tried to keep _calm_ and _logical_ about the situation, despite the fact that she was really close to panicking. She reminded herself to stay calm and throw up her walls... _Be upset later_, when the time was appropriate. "We don't know. That's what I was gonna ask, after I punched you for _stressin' me out_." With a heavy exhale, she mused quietly, "But I guess it wouldn't be fair to do that, given that you don't know me and all, eh...?"

He snorted. "Uh... _yeah_, crazy lady." Despite his words, a small, amused smile crossed his face.

The girl dragged herself to her feet, clenching her fists tight to keep them from shaking. "I guess... I should go get someone, huh...?" She nodded, answering her own question, "_Yeah_, I should. Right... just... stay there. Don't move."

"I wasn't planning on it." He raised a brow, lips curving into a smirk. "And even if I was..." He trailed off and gestured to himself, strapped up to various machines, "_I don't think it'd work out too well_..."

_Oh God_, she could tell this was going to suck a lot, already...

* * *

Ashley paced the length of the hall for what felt like the thousandth time, hands shoved in her pockets to keep her fingers from twitching from the lack of trident. And since her trident and armor was stashed away in Zach's closet, she couldn't just go and get it; _not until she figured out what had happened to Jack to make him lose his memory_.

She got that he'd hit his head... _that part was obvious_. But she would've liked to know how, and if it was someone, then who... Because if it _was_ a who that did that to Jack, she was due for a visit to the person...

It was Fitz that came out of the yeti and Guardian-filled room, his usually bright eyes dark as he regarded her solemnly. "Well... _first of all_; you look nice today."

The girl's face fell, and she ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "Don't butter me up, Fitz, just _lay it on me_. Harsh and quick; like a band-aid."

"Well..." The yeti grimaced beneath his furry 'stache, the red war paint her _never failed to put on_ contorted with his expression. "He's lost his memory of ya. _Entirely_." She _knew_ that.

She motioned for him to '_hurry up_'. "Yeah, I got that, tell me something I _don't_ know. What else...?"

Fitz shifted nervously, idly scratching his belly. "Well... this-this isn't _completely_ related ta his injury er anything, but... uh... _I think he's got a thing fer Tooth_."

Ashley blinked. _Okay_... _that_ was something she didn't know... Reminding herself to keep it bottled up now, and let it out later, she bit out carefully, "Okay. Anything else...? Any clues on how this happened, or _who_ made this happen...?" Fitz shrugged unhelpfully, and she took a deep, calming breath. "Alright-y then... I'm... I'm goin' out."

The yeti frowned and ran a hand through his short (by yeti standards, anyways) hair, his small ears flopping over his head. "Maybe you should _rest_," He suggested gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Eat something, _I dunno_... You've _gotta_ be upset, and-"

"_I'm fine_." She jerked her shoulder back and forced herself to lower her tone, to sound less like a teen about to have a mental breakdown. "I'm okay... _It's_ okay. I'm gonna go get Aleksei and head out."

His furry brows drew together as he gestured back towards the door. "You don't wanna see...?" He trailed off uncertainly.

The girl grunted and shook her head. "_No_... no. I, uh... _I already did_. I was the one who told you guys he was up, remember? It... it wouldn't do anything but hurt me."

He let her go, opening his mouth to say something, only to change his mind and snap it shut_. He knew she would be okay_... if not for herself, then for Zachary, at the very least. She just needed some time...

* * *

Hopping off of Aleksei with a quiet grunt, she brushed off her jeans before looking up. An old, rusty abandoned warehouse with junk cars in the lot met her eyes, and she raised a brow as she took it in. _This_ was the great place that Nate always bragged about...? It was... kind of a dump. Kicking a can near her feet, she made her way to the door.

The door protested with a loud groan and a whine as she pushed it open. It was very nearly rusted shut, and the thought occurred to her that Nate _really_ needed to find a new place... or, at the very least, needed to give his place a fucking _makeover_ because _Jesus,_ it was a crap-hole.

_Oh well_. She'd remind him later, if she remembered... Right now, all the disgruntled spirit wanted was some company that _wouldn't_ give her that damned _sympathetic_ look when they thought she wasn't looking.

Ashley walked in, footsteps heavy and posture slumped as she took in the dim lighting and musty air. "Yo, _Nate?_ You in here, brother...?" Her voice echoed on the walls, repeating her question to her several times before fading. _Well_... if he wasn't there... "You know, your place is a _dump_. Get a new redecorator, man... Just because your a wannabe gangster doesn't mean your place has gotta be so _shit- OW!_"

She yelped as a can hit her in the back of the head, and Nate's voice barked, "'_Ey!_ Don't be such a mother-fuckin' _dick_, yo - you didn't _have_ to come in here! I could'a punted you out the minute you stepped foot in here!"

With a snort, raised a brow. "Oh, so you _were_ here. You were just hoping I'd leave you alone... _bitch_."

Nate looked awfully pale in the light, and the stark shadows on his angular face made him look more exhausted than usual. Stubble framed his face, a cigarette hung between his lips, and a glock was holstered on his belt. In his typical too-big jeans and Nikes, with no shirt - showing off his many tattoos - he was pretty much the definition of _class_... in the antonyms section of a _thesaurus_, maybe.

"_Don't be such a little shit_, you know it ain't like that." He scowled as he pretended to hit her shoulder. "Anyway... what're you doin' here? Came for a cigarette refill...?"

The girl gave a small, albeit forced, smile and shrugged. "I dunno... I just want to talk to someone who wouldn't give that stupid _sympathetic look_ every time they think I look away."

The man's brows drew together. "Whoa, wait, _what?_ What the fuck did you do, dip...?" He trailed off, eyes going distant as his face went blank.

So nothing new, in other words... as Ash had learned, Nate didn't need to get told the news, because he got it whether he wanted it or not. Apparently, the wannabe was a lot more important than she had ever even _begun_ to imagine, and got news from Slendy himself via some telepathy crap.

"_Oh_..." Nate pursed his lips in thought, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it before looking back at her. "Damn. Frost Brat forgot about ya...? _Pretty fuckin' shitty_..." The girl shrugged, and he huffed, throwing a gangly arm over her shoulders and tugged her closer, leading her to a couch pushed against the wall. "Okay, _yeah_... you wanna have a beer?"

Before she could answer, he pulled one from thin air with a flair of his hands and put it in her hands. Ashley raised a brow as a smile tugged at her lips. "Where'd you learn _that_...?"

He scoffed and shrugged it off, waving a hand over the top of the bottle and making the cap jump up with a muffled _pop!_ "One a' the fan-fuckin'-tastic perks that come with the job, yo... Now drink up; there're kids starvin' in Africa. And it'll numb the hurt... _trust me_, I know that better than _anyone_..."

She sniggered, but tilted the bottle back and chugged it because _right then_, that sounded great... Her boyfriend, and for what's more, one of her _best friends_ had just forgotten about her. Entirely. _Fuck_. _That_. _Shit_... It wasn't quite like those sappy chick-flicks made it out to be. She didn't feel like crying her eyes out. Hell, she didn't feel like crying at _all_... It was just a low, deep ache in the pit of her chest. She didn't know what to do... she kind of wanted to hunt down whoever hurt Jack, but... she just lacked the resolve.

For now, anyways... she was certain she would find out what happened, but... Right now, she just wanted to be around someone who wouldn't _pity her_. Was that so much to ask...?

As Ashley swallowed the last gulp, her stomach lurched as she briefly thought about Zach because _what the fuck was she doing?!_ He would be so fucking disappointed in her! She leapt to her feet and went to a corner and promptly began to puke the crap out of her system.

While she heaved the alcohol out of her system and slammed a palm into the wall, she heard Nate sigh and walk up behind her, pulling her hair back for her and rubbing her back as he muttered, "Y'know, you didn't _have_ to mo-foin' _drink it_. I was _offerin_'. I wouldn't 've gotten pissed or anythin' if you'd said '_naw_'..." She simply retched in response, and she could practically _hear_ him roll his eyes.

"I'm _so_ stupid," She breathed between heaves and gasps for breath, a trembling arm braced against the wall to keep her from falling face first into the corner and or her puke, tears welling in the corner of her eyes, "_Shit_, man... fuckin' _drinkin'_... what's _wrong_ with me?! What would _Zach_ say?! _Stupid_-_hrrk-!_"

"You _are_ pretty stupid..." He agreed dryly, snickering as she reached back to lightly hit him before letting his voice get _slightly_ less dick-ish. "You're stupid for tryin' to think that you ain't allowed to be a little fuckin' _sad_. It's part of life, Lee... No one's gonna make fun a' you for bein' a lil' upset. There's good times with the bad times..."

Ashley glanced back at the spirit of balance and grumbled. "This is a _particularly bad fuckin' time_."

Nate shrugged. "Terrible things happen to good people the same as bad ones. That's just how things are. It's just..." He trailed off, moving his hands in a circle as she straightened up. "It's like... _a big ball a' rainbow yarn_. Sometimes you go a while, tuggin' bits out an' gettin' your favorite colors, and then you'll suddenly get those random dark, real _butt-ugly_ colors that make you wonder why the _hell_ they put them there; 'cause _no one_ fuckin' likes that _ugly-ass_, _puke-fuckin'-green_ color 'less they're _bat-shit insane_..." He trailed off, adding, "But really, when it comes to those crazy people, _ya just never really know_... Maybe it reminds 'em a' their grandma's ugly knitted sweaters in their warped mind or somethin'-"

"You're rambling, _Natas_." She informed him lightly, a smile tugging at her mouth as the man made a face and scratched his stubble.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah_..." He grumbled, "Point is... life's crazy. Some people go their whole lives without bad shit happenin', even if they themselves was a bad person, and sometimes the best people go _way too long_ with shit gettin' thrown at 'em... Maybe you're destined for a _shitty-ass_ existence... but ya just gotta keep hopin' for the best an' puttin' your best foot forward."

Her shoulders fell as she deadpanned at him. _Gee_... that made her feel better... Except, _oh wait_, it actually didn't. "If I'm destined to have a shit life... _why bother?_"

The man grumbled something under his breath before lightly punching her shoulder. "Because there's still always a chance that things'll be the best they've ever been, _dipshit_. I'm not _sayin'_ to try an' forget this whole shit pile... I'm tellin' you to stop _refusin'_ to allow yourself to be sad, '_cause that's makin' it worse_. Come to terms with it, accept that your gonna be down about it an' that it's _okay_ to be down about it, mourn in whatever way ya wanna... and keep. Moving. Forward. Even if ya gotta _crawl_ to do it, 'cause your favorite color on that _goddamn_ rainbow string could only be a couple a' tugs away; ya just gotta pull the ass-ugly colors out, first. _Ya feel me, dip?_"

Ashley faltered at the man's uncharacteristically wise words, and gaped because _woah_... that was deep, _period_. And that just came out of _Nate_...

She always forgot that Nate could always see right through her. And _everyone_, at that... It was almost _scary_, but also... kind of heartening, that an ass-hat like him could be so... _brilliant_, at times. He was a hard-ass, insensitive, ill-mannered, and blunt to the point where it was _rude_... and it was times like these that reminded her why she loved that about him.

"I... _thanks_, Nate." She cracked a small, somewhat sad smile. "You... _you're pretty cool_."

He scoffed. "Bitch, _please_... I'm the mother fuckin' _coolest_. _All_ the bitches love me, an' you ain't no diff'rent!"

Chuckling as the brief feeling of _deja vu_ ran through her, she snorted. "If that's what helps you sleep at night, _by all means_, go ahead and believe it..."

With a smirk, Nate lead her over to the couch. "I ain't _gotta_ believe it if it's already true..." He plopped down without her and rubbed his chest, glancing down at his tattoos. "Y'know, I've always wondered... _how come you ain't never gone to the Coliseum?_"

She blinked. "What now...?"

"The Coliseum," He repeated, pulling out his glock and using it the scratch near his crotch. Like she had said_... classy_. "We've all... got this _place_, ya dig? Like, North's got his little tinkerbell workshop, Vulcan has his lil' secret underground forge, _I_ got," He gestured around the warehouse, "my gang's ol' safe house; Vergil had the Coliseum. An' I don't think you ever _really_ had a place like us, so I think ya inherited the Coliseum or some shit, ya dig?"

Ashley blinked again, eyes wide. "_Vulcan has an underground forge_...?"

Nate waved it off. "Yeah, it's like, in an active _volcano_ or some shit-"

"_That's so cool_," She breathed in awe, slapping her hands to her cheeks as she imagined the burly man at a forge of _lava_.

"_Anyways_," He cut her off shortly, a bit annoyed at the fact that she interrupted him, on top of a bit insulted that she didn't like his safe house. "Vergil had some super secret _armory_ place hidden in the Coliseum, some place... how come ya never went...?"

Throwing her hands in the air with a harrumph, she crossed her arms and slumped. "_No one ever told me!_ That's _kinda_ important, why didn't you tell me, you _ass?_"

"We all kinda thought you knew!"

"_Well, I didn't!_" She exclaimed exasperatedly, letting a grin twitch at her lips to let him know she wasn't _really_ mad or anything as she made various hand motions. "I was all _sleeping in trees_ and junk, when I could've been sleeping in a freaking underground bunker under the Coliseum! I've been a the Coliseum _seven times_, too, and I never even knew!" She tangled a hand in her hair. "_Man_, this is some _bull_..."

"Maybe you was unconsciously drawn there...?" Nate raised a brow as a thought struck him. "An' ya know, _ain't nothin' stoppin' ya_ from goin' to go an' find it, right...?"

The girl blinked, eyes alight with a newfound mission. "You know... _you're right_."

"No duh, dipshit," He chortled, standing up and playfully slapping her butt. "_Go get 'em_."

She nodded vigorously while patting herself, checking to make sure she had all her stuff, only to freeze and curse as she realized that she still had all her stuff (armor, trident, and gladius included) in Zach's closet. The girl took off towards the door in a sprint, only to freeze halfway through the door...

As Nate began to ask what was wrong, she sprinted back in a blur and enclosed him in a bear hug.

The man froze, eyes wide and muscles tensed as Ashley hugged him. She muttered into his inked shoulder, "_Thank you, Natas_."

His lips twitched up as he glanced down at her, relaxing into the embrace. "Anytime, dip..." Ruffling her hair before lightly pushing her away, he harrumphed. "Now quit bein' a squatter and get the fuck out a' my place. You rag on my safe house, you rag on me. So get out before I _kick_ yo ass out."

"Ha," She cracked a grin and lightly punched his arm. "Bye, _Natas_."

As she'd turned heel and started running for the door, she heard him shout irately, "_Don't call me that, dipshit!_"

Ashley cackled while dodging an empty beer can aimed at her head, calling back, "I do what I want, slut! _And I won't forget the ass slap, either!_"

* * *

**Author's note~**

**Still on a Frozen kick. But I hate leaving you guys hangin' when this has really only _just_ started. So I hope it's not too bad (even though it is) and hope you guys are ready for some Nate feels. Because I can tell you right now, I seriously love the guy. The Nate feels are pretty distant, but they're gonna be there, I can almost guarentee it :B**

**So bear with me guys (********************ʕ´ᴥ`ʔ**)! I really love ya, and I'm tryin'! Just fuckin-_FROZEN_. Ugh. Don't get me started, shits and ships are going down with that damn movie. But it's nearing it's end, I think, and then I'll be more devoted to you guys again.

**ASDFGHKLLETMELOVEYOUGUYSSHITFUCKYOU'REALLFANTASTICFORREALTHO**

**, _Blue_**


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